96588: Using a bell in the house, alarm clocks or regular clocks

There are people who say that alarm clocks are haraam because they have music. Is this correct?.

Praise be to Allaah.

Muslim narrated in his
Saheeh (2113) from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: “The angels do not accompany any group with whom there is a dog or a
bell.”

And he narrated (2114) also
from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: “Bells are the musical instruments of the
Shaytaan.”

Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have
mercy on him) said: As for bells, it was said that the reason why the angels
dislike them is that they are similar to church bells, or because they are
one of the hanging things that are forbidden. And it was said that the
reason why they are disliked is their sound, which is supported by the
report which mentions “the musical instruments of the shaytaan.”

The reason why their sound
is disliked is that it is akin to musical instruments, which are forbidden.

Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may
Allaah have mercy on him) said: To sum up, the sound has two qualities, one
which is the strength of the sound and the other is its tune, and because of
its musical tune it was prohibited, and the reason was given as being
because they are “the musical instruments of the shaytaan.”

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may
Allaah have mercy on him) said: (The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him)) told us that the angels do not accompany people with
whom there is a bell, because when the animals walk, it will make a sound
like music, and it is known that musical instruments are haraam. End quote.
Sharh Riyaadh al-Saaliheen (4/340).

With regard to alarm clocks
and the like, if they have musical sounds then they are haraam, because of
the general meaning of the evidence that indicates that musical instruments
are haraam. But there is nothing wrong with an ordinary alarm clock.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may
Allaah have mercy on him) said: As for alarm clocks and the like that do not
come under the prohibition, and things that are used beside doors to ask
permission to enter – because some doors have a bell to ask permission to
enter – there is also nothing wrong with these, and they do not come under
this prohibition, because they are not hung around an animal’s neck and the
like, and they do not create a tune which is the reason why the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade them. End quote.

Sharh Riyadh
al-Saaliheen (4/340-341).

The Standing Committee was
asked: What is the kind of bell that is forbidden? Please note that there
are electric bells that make sounds like birds, or bells on alarm clocks
where one piece of metal strikes another, and other kinds.

They replied:

The bells that are used in
houses, schools and so on are permissible, so long as they do not include
anything haraam, such as resembling the church bells of the Christians, or
have musical sounds. In that case they are haraam for that reason. End
quote.